Monday, September 29th and Tuesday, October 1st, 2025 - We're Bound For South Australia - Coober Pedy and Adelaide

The Ghan at Manguri

Fran and I got back on the Ghan in Alice Springs, where we would sleep for the next two nights. I didn't take photos of our quarters, but it would be fair to say they were cramped. Although the cabin had a small basin, we shared bathroom and toilet with the other people in the 'single' car - a total of 18 cabins - sharing two showers and four toilets. It was OK, and we both decided it was worthwhile, for experiencing the vastness of the outback in a visceral way, but we would not sign up for it again. In case you want to see photos of the single cabins, here's a link. https://www.greattrains.com.au/the-ghan-indian-pacific-cabins/gold-single

The Kanku-Breakaway Conservation Park

On Monday morning, the train stopped at the Manguri siding in South Australia, and arranged buses for us to travel to Coober Pedy, an opal mining town 25 miles away. Before getting to the mining area, we stopped at this natural landscape 21 miles north of the town, called the Kanku-Breakaway Conservation Park. As you see, it offers an otherworldly landscape formed by mesas and low hills, which appear to have 'broken away' from the higher ground of the main escarpment.

A Great Movie Location!

You might recognize this landscape if you have seen the movie, The Advenures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. In it, there is a wonderful scene where the drag queens traipse through this God-forsaken landscape in high heels and full regalia! It is quite a scene!

This Looks Like There's Mining Happening Here

As we approached Coober Pedy, the colors remained somewhat the same as the Breakaways, and the landscape stayed eerily otherworldly. There are different methods of mining opal here - there were open-pit operations with lots of equipment, but it appears that it is mostly small operators who put down a hole and when they're done, just leave their tailings sitting right where they put them. 

A Larger Operation

The predominance of small mines is partly due to fossicking and mining laws that only allow each prospector a 165 square foot claim. This encouraged individual prospectors and is also a response to the fact that opal deposits are dispersed and fragmented, not evenly distributed through the soil. Opals are also fragile and can be shattered easily with the use of heavy equipment, so small scale methods are more reliable. 

The landscape was dotted as far as the eye could see with scenes like this. No doubt you wouldn't want to wander around at night without a flashlight! It could also be risky if you wander too close to an active claim. Not only are there fines, but there could be worse, and more immediate consequences if the place is being guarded!

So, Where's the Town?

Coober Pedy is a challenging place to visit if you want to 'see' the town, because most of it is underground! The plastic pipes you see here sticking out from the ground are ventilation pipes for the structure underground - possibly someone's home. Opals were first found here by Europeans in 1915. As soldiers returned from World War One, they brought with them their trench digging skills. The area is very hot and dry, with only 5.68 inches of water per year, so living underground in a 'trench', was much more comfortable than hacking it at ground level with a tent or shed.

Currently the population is around 1,800 people, but was higher in the 1990's when it peaked at around 3,500. It is a diverse collection of people, representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, along with people from 24 other nations.

Where Did That Name Come From?

As white miners arrived, the Aboriginal people living here would point at them and say 'kupa piti'. Naturally the new arrivals thought this must be the name of the place, but in fact it means 'white men in holes'! The word 'kupa', meaning white man, was derived from the term 'copper', as most of their encounters with white men up to that time had been with white police, or 'coppers'. 

The Aboriginal inhabitants, the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people, thought these whitefellas were crazy, going to all the trouble they did, to pull worthless stones from the ground. Apparently they had known about the opal, but to them it held no value, as theirs was not a money based society - food was the essential.

Opal in Rock - the 'Greenish' Splash in the Middle

We were told that opal is basically 'fossilized' water - but in fact it is formed from pockets of silica rich water in the rock. It does contain some water - ranging from 3 to 21 percent according to Wikipedia, but most of the water evaporates over millions of years, leaving behind the silica which hardens into a non-crystalline form. Instead of forming sharp edged crystals, the silica takes the shape of spheres, or nanospheres, which are arranged in closely packed planes. The way the light travels through these planes determines whether it is a worthless, mostly opaque, potch opal, or a magnificent stone with play of color. It all depends on how the layers of nanospheres diffract light into the colors of the spectrum. The value depends on the intensity and range of colors, the most prized being the intensely colorful  'black' opal.

George Burford's Dugout

It was miners living in caves like this, who put Coober Pedy on the map for being the most productive opal area in the world. Australia produces 95% of the world's opals, which are considered the benchmark, prized for their stability, variety and unmatched play of color. Coober Pedy  produces 70% of the world's volume of precious white opals. 

George Burford built his dugout in the 1920 and was was the unofficial 'mayor' of Coober Pedy and its first Justice of the Peace.

A Traditional Miner's Home - Umoona Opal Mine and Museum

If you own a white opal, it's possible this is where it came from and possibly pulled out of the ground by someone living like this.........

A Modern Miner's Home - Umoona Opal Mine and Museum

.........or in today's world, like this. This modern home had a fully equipped kitchen with refrigerator, electric stove and running water. Bathrooms and water are usually near the front of the abode where plumbing is more easily installed.

Water is Almost as Precious as Opals

 Water is the other precious commodity here. With so little rainfall, it has to be piped in from an underground bore about 15 miles away, and then processed through a reverse osmosis system to produce high quality, but expensive, water. This sign is an old one, from a time before water was being piped through the town, but prices for water are still costly - three times higher than in more populated areas of South Australia. There are calls for government assistance to bring prices down but so far it has not happened.

Good Sleeping

They said that one gets wonderful quality sleep in the cool and darkness of a cave. However, one must always have a flashlight within reach, as it is pitch black if the power goes out.

Adding a room is easy - just keep digging. Mining permits are no longer issued within the town of Coober Pedy, but people are allowed to add to their homes. There are stories of people funding all their 'construction' costs and more, if they are fortunate enough to run into a seam of precious opal in the process! 

Showing Us How it's Done

We met a miner who conveyed to us the addictive nature of this business. It is long, hard, dangerous work, but he made it clear that the adrenaline rush that he experiences, on his few occasions of success, makes it all worthwhile. Those who are seeking to get rich quick are facing enormous odds. Australian data suggests that only one out of a hundred miners finds a significant parcel in any given year.

A Very 'Cool' Church - Church of Saint Elijah the Prophet (Serbian Orthodox)

Before we left, we visited this underground Serbian Orthodox Church, which is shared by both Greeks and Serbians in the community. At present it is struggling to find a resident priest, but remains an active church. It was built in 1993 by volunteers and is financially supported by tourists who are invited to make an AUD $5 donation to enter.

St. Elijah is one of the oldest prophets referenced in Scripture. He spent his life in strict fasting, meditation and prayer and received a revelation from God in the desert and lived in a cave. 

The hill it 'inhabits' was donated by a local resident. He was inspired by the actions of his grandfather in Yugoslavia, who had donated land for the construction of a church there, dedicated to St. Elijah.... but this time the land was in the desert landscape that St. Elijah was known for.

The Sanctuary

The designers have done a beautiful job with backlit 'windows' and carved relief in the sanctuary. The curved roof reveals the heavy machinery that was used to carve out the space in only six weeks.  After that, much of the construction was done by hand, using pick, shovel and jack picks. The brochure we were given says "Of course, no Coober Pedy construction is complete without explosives and wheelbarrows". Google AI says that opals were found during the venture, which helped offset the cost of the structure. Although it was full of our busload of tourists, and others, it presented a serene and beautiful space, allowing the noise to be absorbed somehow.

Mary With the Angels Carved in the Rock

It was quite an extraordinary place.

'Stained Glass' Window

The appearance of stained glass windows was created with polycarbonate panels. Within the body of the church, the panels are backlit. The one at the parking lot end has the sunlight streaming through. In case you think my photo is out of focus, there are two polycarbonate panels separated by a small space, which gives an unfocused effect.

Sturt's Desert Pea Flower

I had first seen this peculiar flower - Sturt's Desert Pea - back in the 1960's when I came to South Australia on a university field trip. I was really hoping to se2 it blooming again on this trip, but had been disappointed at it's absence in other regions. I guess I needed to come to South Australia, where it is the state's floral emblem.

Back in the 'Real' World Again - Photo From Train Window

Next morning, after our last night on the Ghan, we woke to a totally different environment. But for the enormous size of the fields, we could have been in England. Clearly there is water here and the land is verdant.

Adelaide Arcade

Our destination was Adelaide, and it was good to get off the train into a more spacious hotel room. We only had a brief afternoon to enjoy Adelaide, a town that is known for the arts, its green spaces, food and wine from the nearby Barossa Valley. It has a been recognized by UNESCO as a City of Music for offering diverse genres, hosting two notable festivals - WOMAdelaide and a Fringe Festival that offer world class performances.

Adelaide Arcade

We were just following our noses as we headed toward the Adelaide Central Market to find lunch, and loved wandering through this old arcade. It opened into one of my favorite venues, a pedestrian street, Rundle Mall.

The 'Pigeon' by Paul Sloan, Gawler Place

I liked this metal pigeon near Rundle Mall, which stands over six feet tall. I liked its firmly planted feet and proud stature, along with the metallic sheen of the stainless steel. Apparently it is an effort to 'elevate the humble pigeon to an art form'. I think it succeeded.

Facades 'Framed' with Brick - Quoins

Many of the older buildings we saw here consisted of a facade that was combined with bricks on the edges, for both decoration and support. It thrills me that this style allows me to 'coin' a new word, as the edging is called a 'quoin'! (Sorry.) 

 The building on the in the middle shows the darker brick quoins, against a yellow ochre stucco facade. It also has some lovely Victorian lace over the porch.   The one on the right shows a less decorative quoin with stone.

Lost in a Sea of Modernity

It was an architectural style I found very appealing, but in many places these old buildings were standing alone among more modern structures.

Mural at the Central Market

The market was vibrant with people, smells and colors.  Dating from 1869, it is one of the oldest markets in Australia and is the largest undercover fresh food market in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 70 different traders.

A Produce Stall

The produce looked fresh and healthy.

Mushrooms

I got excited about the mushrooms, which were large and delicious looking. When you consider that 2 kg is just over 2 lbs, these are only USD $4 per pound. Good value, I'd say.

Celery Root

I was also very impressed with the freshness of the celery root. Ours appear in the supermarket without a shred of green and are generally much smaller than these. It's one of my favorite vegetables.

Salami Anyone!

Should you want to have a little meat with your fat, the selection of processed meat was substantial. There were also fabulous selections of cheese and wine.

Less Fat, Bigger Prices

If one is a meat eater, this would be 'the place' to go for your barbeque. Prices are per kilogram, so the tomahawk steak would be USD $20 per pound, while the Wagyu Scotch Filet would be USD $60 per pound. I've never bought Wagyu beef, so I don't know if that's a good price or not. I think I would be afraid to eat it!

Turkish Delight

I was not afraid to eat Turkish delight, however. I've never seen such freshly made, handcrafted delights - so I had to try some. Delicious.

Bouquet of Australian Native Flowers

The white and purple flowers are a variety of tea tree, the red spiky ones, a type of grevillea. I don't know the names of the other flowers, but nothing beats the beauty of a native floral arrangement.

Victoria Square

This brief interaction with Adelaide was not enough to get a fair impression of the city. It definitely felt like a place that was less hectic than Sydney, and not as metropolitan as Melbourne. Perhaps I'll visit again in the future, perhaps not. It was definitely a pleasant place to walk around.

'When I'm 64' Mural, Barbary O'Brien, Carol Ruff at al

I snapped this photo from my hotel window. The mural on the corner of Frome and Rundle Streets was in the distance, and it intrigued me. It was painted in 1984 and has been updated and revised by other artists since. The man is holding an ice cream and the road looks as if it's leading to eternity. Online interpretations suggest that the child on the bicycle evokes the passage of time during his lifetime. It seems to me that 64 is way to young to be contemplating end of life, so perhaps in todays world they could move the age back a few decades! 

Maybe that is too somber of a message to end on, to here's another, tastier ending.

Grape Bunches in the Sidewalk

Because wine production is very important to South Australia, they even have the image of grape bunches embedded in the sidewalk, so I finally leave you with this image. 

Enjoy!